Application service providers and content delivery networks often serve a vast number of different domains for a large number of different clients. Each particular domain represents a virtual location by which a client may offer content for various users. For example, many clients of application service providers and content delivery networks offer specific websites at client-specific domain names on the Internet. When an Internet user makes a request for content from a particular website or domain of a particular client, the request is handled by the content delivery network and the application service provider that are responsible for hosting the domain for the particular client. The content delivery network obtains the content for the particular domain from the application service provider responsible for hosting content for that particular domain, and provides the content for the particular domain to the Internet user on the user's computer or other user device.
The application service provider and the content delivery network typically provide such services to a large number of clients, with each of the clients owning one or more domains. Such an environment can provide effective service with a high level of efficiency. However, in the event that the content for one of the domains becomes unavailable (for example, if a platform of the application service provider becomes unavailable), it may be desirable to provide an applicable error message to users of the domain as to the unavailability of the content for the domain. However, with content delivery networks and application service providers hosting a large number of domains for a large number of clients, it may be difficult to convey an effective error message to the user of a particular domain. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.